Page 8 of Personal Foul

The server came back and delivered his drink. “Would you like to order?”

“Uh, we haven’t decided,” Romilly said. “I’m sorry, can you come back in five minutes?”

“Of course,” she said and left them alone once more.

Romilly handed him the extra menu. “Let’s figure what we’re going to eat first and then we can talk.”

“Sure,” he said.

They perused the menus so when the server came back, they placed their orders. The dim lighting in the restaurant, along with the flickering LED candle flame, gave them an intimate setting.

“So, back to the whole football thing,” he said. “I only asked because that’s what I do. I’m a tight end.”

She blinked. “I don’t think you’re talking about your butt, right?”

Her laughed. “Sorry, I’m not laughing at you, I promise. The question was completely unexpected and unbelievably charming. No, a tight end is a position in football. That’s my job.”

It took a moment for her to realize what he was saying. “Oh. You’re a football player?”

“Yes.”

“That’s cool. Are you good at being a tight end?”

He continued to smile. “Yes, I am.”

“Do you like it?”

“I love it. It’s the only thing I ever wanted to do.”

“That’s good,” she said softly. “It’s important to do something you love.”

“What do you do?”

“Oh, I draw and paint. I have my own Etsy shop, plus I take commissions for portraits. Believe it or not, most of my clients hire me to paint their pets.”

“I believe it. The wife of one of my teammates has this ankle-biter dog and she puts a diaper on it. It’s like her damn baby or something. My turn to ask if you’re good at it.”

“I do all right,” she said with a shrug. “I’m able to pay mybills and I have a nest egg to fall back on if anything happens.”

“And it’s something you love, right?”

“Very much.” She debated if it was okay to delve further into her answer, then decided to jump in with both feet. “My parents died in a car accident when I was ten and I was sent to live with my father’s sister. She wasn’t really the greatest person to take care of a kid and I was left alone a lot of the time. Needless to say, I was severely depressed. Even thought about joining my parents a few times. Then one day I was flipping through channels and saw this show teaching people how to draw and I thought it looked interesting. From that day on, I lived and breathed art. It saved my life.”

“You’re very strong to have survived that,” he murmured. “My parents got divorced a little over a year ago. I know it shouldn’t have bothered me, because I’m a grown-ass man, but I just never thought it would ever bemyparents.”

He frowned, and she got the impression he had more to say, but she didn’t want to pry. It was his story to tell, not hers to take. Instead, she reached out and touched his hand, letting him know she supported him. His parents may not have died like hers, but that didn’t mean he didn’t feel alone. He flipped his hand over to grasp hers, and they stared at one another. Something played out in his eyes. Something conflicted. Just as she went to ask him about it, the food arrived and she pulled back so the server could lay down their plates. The aroma of cheese and spice made her mouth water. Kaiden had ordered steak enchiladas smothered in salsa verde. He took a bite and gave an appreciative noise.

“You’re right, this is really good,” he said.

“Yep, I love this place.” She took a bite of her quesadilla and munched happily. “If you’re looking for some awesome Italian food, you have to check out The Hill.”

“Yeah? Maybe you should take me so I pick the bestrestaurant.”

It thrilled her that he wanted to spend more time with her.

“Yeah, sure,” she said, trying hard to sound casual.

“Do you go to the dog park every day?” he asked, once they were finished with dinner.

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